I was all set to write back some heated responses to those two boneheads, excuse me, misguided individuals, but the more I read the more I realized that they didn't even have their facts straight, and don't know all the facts, and don't want to know the facts. I've learned that some people can't respond to reasoning and I keep my stress level down by remembering that. All anyone can go by is what you have posted so far and the only response anyone can give is based on what we read. I agree with you there we probably don’t have all the facts as to the situation. I never said I did not want to know all the facts though, if you would care to share them I would be willing to respond with respect as I have always have. It seems the issue that got picked up on here is whether one can be a therapist and a human and a member of a society, neighborhood, community, what have you, at the same time. Of course they can. I never said anything to the contrary. Nor did I ever say that mental health professionals are un human. Again and with respect, I believe you are projecting, in my opinion. As far as "being held to a higher standard," that is true to some extent, but the way I see it, in that capacity, I was perhaps modeling "assertive behavior" for my neighbor. OK. You are also dead on in that I don't give up my rights to personal safety by virtue of being a therapist. Actually my supervisor, as does our agency as a matter of policy, takes safety seriously, whether the threat is implied or attempted. Her other (also legitimate) concern, and mine too, is that I have a place to do my work where I feel emotionally safe. We as an agency have a responsibility to more than just this one potential client (i'm not even sure he won't go somewhere else first). I have some 40 or so clients on my case load. The greater good, if you want to talk utilitarian, is that these 40-some clients have a therapist that is able to be fully present, not that one self-serving bonehead is able to get services here at the expense of those 40-some clients getting a therapist who's at least distracted and at worst feeling threatened. Of course you don’t have to give up your rights to personal safety because you are a mental health professional. Nor does a non professional. If the alcoholic says he is going to come to your place of work to harm you then of course you have the right to file a report and get him banned. However in my opinion, you don’t have the right to tell him that he can’t come to a location where you are NOT located at. That would apply to anyone, whether or not they are a mental health professional. And if he is really saying this you need to substantiate it with a police report. Otherwise you could be placing yourself in not only legal jeopardy but also your personal safety too. That’s to protect YOU and I am concerned about your safety, despite the idea that you may believe otherwise. But the bottom line for me in this situation is that, as a neighbor, I have a right to expect my neighbors to behave in a civil manner, I have a right to live in peace, and I have a right to enforce that. My going out after him was a reflex to what looked like me to be a serious assault. My first instinct was to protect my female neighbor who I thought was a friend. (I would have tried to protect her even if she wasn't a friend). My second response was that I wanted to take a swing at this guy that I absolutely hate, as he has created nothing but disruption since his arrival. I'm glad you recognize that, even as a therapist, I'm entitled to my all-too-human feelings. Yes you do, and if they don’t behave, call the cops. But don’t be hitting people unless it is in self defense. Because if you do, it makes you no beter than the alcholic. It’s the cops job to put the guy in cuffs not yours. For the same reason that you don’t feel that non therapists should be doing therapy, cops don’t think that social workers should be enforcing laws.
These individuals seem to view mental health professionals the way I used to view the nuns at our school when I was in second grade; that they always wore their habits, never said a cuss word and they weren't really human. According to them, I'm never allowed to get irritable, make unhealthy choices, or be less than compassionate.
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